Wednesday, December 15, 2010

WOW incredible year for music, huh? It certainly took me longer than ever to craft this year’s list, which is a testament to the true artistry that occurred in 2010. For me, 2010 will be memorable not only for the outstanding tunes that filled my ears, but personal benchmarks that came my way. I have had a very fortunate, blessed and downright lucky year and for that I am most grateful. Maybe that is why this year’s list was tricky. As I’m sure you can relate to – when compiling and listening to all of these songs and/or albums I was taken back to memories that will not soon be forgotten and the friends/loved ones I got to experience those moments with. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a few standouts: SXSW w/ Lindsey, Cory and new friends Peter and Carmine, LCD Soundsystem/Hot Chip @ the Bowl with too many people to list, two nights of Arcade Fire @ the Shrine, thoughtful music discussions at Thursday night Pho with various musical laureates, the United States rallying behind the US Mens Soccer team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, my first year of blog writing, the whole month of “Rocktober” in general and of course, my engagement (which, if I had my druthers - would have been rolled into that wonderful SXSW trip in Austin).

What a powerful medium music is.

I feel as a whole, we experienced a very transitional year in these here United States. Things seem to be looking up but I sense an undercurrent of restlessness (rightfully so). Lucky for us (as with last year), I feel the arts (Music, Film, Television, Books, Food, Fashion etc.) are responding in a favorable manor; which truly benefits the audience. Pushing boundaries and reinventing models that are more effective, efficient and creative. And, one could only assume (or hope) that these transformative approaches to artistic expression will only become more revolutionary as we inch our way into this young decade.

I look forward to the New Year ahead; as we'll see releases from Radiohead, Fleet Foxes, the Strokes and countless others who hope to put their stamp on the new decade.

I hope you enjoy the below list of music as much as I do and I will have truly done my job if some memories are sparked (and/or formed) when taking a listen. A sincere thank you is in order for your friendship, humor, kind heart, support and love.

As always, please provide recommendations and lists all your own.

Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year to you and yours,

T-Hale.

Top 10 Songs of 2010

(There are some issues with blogger/mp3 stuff - trying to fix it so you can stream the tracks again)

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

December 7th marks the release of the MUCH anticipated soundtrack to accompany the MUCH anticipated film; Tron: Legacy. Visually, the film look stunning; audibly it sounds glorious. With that said, it's no surprise that the two elements were married as part of an organic process with none other than Daft Punk at the helm.

KCRW's Jason Bentley recently sat down with director Joseph Kosinski to get insight into the process of working with Daft Punk and unveil a few snippets of the soundtrack prior to the release. I HIGHLY recommend checking the interview/sound clips out here.

At the very least watch the preview for the film with Daft Punk's track Derezzed to get an idea how perfect this relationship is.